Since its 2007 premiere at London’s National Theatre, War Horse has become one of the world’s most celebrated plays. Productions have picked up Laurence Olivier Awards, swept the 2011 Tony Awards and inspired a hit 2011 film helmed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. Now a Mandarin adaptation will be staged in Shanghai for the first time, taking over Shanghai Culture Square from November 15 to January 17.
Adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 children’s novel, War Horse follows a farming family prior to World War I. Teenage boy Albert watches his father cast the entire family fortune on a foal, betting that it will help improve farm work immediately.
To their dismay, the animal proves difficult to tame and too weak to plough. However, Albert bonds with the horse, whom he names Joey, and begins to train it despite his parents’ threats to sell the creature.
When war breaks out, Joey is sold at an auction for military use and Albert enlists as a soldier. Following Joey’s hooves, War Horse depicts different stories across the European continent during this chaotic time.
While Spielberg’s film version was a critical hit, claiming the 2011 Film of the Year title from the American Film Institute (AFI), War Horse truly shines on stage.
The play has toured across Europe, North America and South Africa, winning critical acclaim for its cutting-edge technology and the stunning presentation of the puppet horse.
Rumors have been circulating for years about a Chinese version of War Horse. Although some have worried about how the story would translate into Mandarin, the most pressing issue was mastering the 3-meter-long, 2.4-meter-tall puppet horse.
Weighing 54 kg, the gigantic horse moves and looks entirely real. It was created over five years by the famed South African group Handspring Puppetry. The puppet is wrapped in leather with its ears controlled by brakes. For the entire show, 14 people handmade four large and one small horse for the stage.
For the Chinese version, the National Theatre Company of China and a British production team spent a year and a half selecting 20 puppet actors out of 1,500 applicants. The chosen actors underwent a year of training, which included learning to live with real horses.
The technical mastery of the puppet horses is just one of the many lavish details of War Horse’s production. As co-director Tom Morris notes, “This show is centered on a puppet that cannot talk,” which means ensuring the set, music, lighting and sound effects are impressive enough to immerse the audience in the story.
The Chinese version of War Horse made its debut at the National Theatre in Beijing in September. The two-and-a-half-hour show was deemed a massive success, helped along by uncannily perfect timing: just as China was immersed in the 70th anniversary celebrations of the end of the Second World War.
The play has wrapped up its months-long run in Beijing and moves to Shanghai Culture Square from November 15 to January 17 with tickets being snapped up fast. It will then continue its national tour by moving south to Guangzhou from March 8 to May 3.
> Nov 15-Jan 17 (Sun-Tues), 7.15pm (2pm matinee shows on Sat); RMB80-1,080 (tickets). Shanghai Culture Square
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